When preparing molecular animations in SAMSON, timing is everything. Whether you’re building a smooth protein docking sequence or visualizing a complex reaction mechanism, it’s often helpful to draw attention to a particular moment. This is where the Pause animation effect comes in handy.
In presentations or educational videos, molecular modelers frequently face the challenge of not having enough time to explain what’s on screen before the next frame kicks in. The Pause animation lets you stop the clock for a few seconds, giving your audience—and yourself—time to absorb what’s happening.
What Exactly Is the Pause Animation?
The Pause animation in SAMSON temporarily halts your animation at a specific frame for a customizable length of time. This is particularly useful for:
- Highlighting a specific molecular conformation
- Allowing explanatory text or narration to catch up
- Creating a moment of reflection for educational or peer-to-peer teaching purposes
How to Add a Pause
To insert a pause, go to the Animation panel in SAMSON’s Animator. Simply double-click the Pause animation effect. This will add a keyframe at your current animation frame. You can then drag this keyframe to any other frame if desired—keyframes are fully movable.
Tip
You can always reposition the Pause keyframe later to better fit the timing of your animation sequence.
Adjusting the Duration
Duration control for the Pause animation is accessed through the Inspector. To bring up the duration control:
- Select the Pause animation node in the Document view
- Open the Inspector
- Set the desired duration in seconds
Here’s what it looks like in the Inspector:
Use Cases in Molecular Modeling
The Pause animation may seem like a simple tool, but it solves a real problem for users trying to communicate molecular behavior clearly. Some practical examples include:
- Drug-binding visualization: Pause at the docking moment to show fit within the active site
- Reaction mechanism breakdown: Pause during a transition state to illustrate electron movement
- Educational step-throughs: Give students time to digest each stage of a complex pathway
Getting Attention Without Disruption
Unlike the Stop animation, which halts the entire sequence, Pause keeps your timeline flowing—just with a brief timeout. Viewers stay engaged while you maintain control over their focus.
If you’re preparing molecular animations in SAMSON and need better control over pacing, the Pause animation is an easy yet powerful solution worth exploring.
To learn more, please visit the official SAMSON documentation page for Pause animation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.